The Mayor of St. Stephen, Allan MacEachern, revealed that he and other council members frequently face harassment from the public. A recent report by the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick and L’Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick highlighted that over 80% of surveyed politicians encountered public harassment. The study included responses from 48 English and 30 French local elected officials.
The report, unveiled at a symposium in Fredericton, pointed out that social media comments are a significant source of harassment, with MacEachern expressing concern that it deters potential leaders from engaging in municipal politics. Brittany Merrifield, the president of the union and Mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield, echoed MacEachern’s sentiments, emphasizing the challenges faced in recruiting and retaining elected officials due to external factors like harassment and intimidation.
Merrifield emphasized the need for a provincial approach to address the national issue of harassment, noting that New Brunswick’s current framework for handling such incidents is inadequate. The report recommended implementing fines, penalties, and no-tolerance policies to combat abuse, along with enhancing training and education for both politicians and the public. Merrifield urged the province to invest in these areas to benefit future councils despite the immediate challenges posed by harassment.